Villa Melissa

Arrival at Villa Melissa is pure theatre: a long colonnaded walkway under a high thatched roof leads past fishponds and tropical planting until the house opens up and the Indian Ocean fills the view. Four soaring timber columns frame the front of the villa, the sea breeze drifts straight through, and the sound of the surf follows you from room to room.

The T-shaped infinity pool stretches across a stone deck with loungers and parasols on every side, joined by a second, smaller pool, and the lawn rolls down to the beach. On one side sits a balé for lazy afternoons and massages, on the other a dining pavilion with a table for ten facing the waves. Inside, an air-conditioned living room with timber floors mixes modern furnishings with Dutch-colonial antiques, the dining room can be open to the garden or closed and cool, and a twin stairway climbs to a mezzanine lounge with sweeping sea views.

The five bedrooms are dressed with canopy beds and bathtubs, and the master bathroom is a showpiece, its sunken tub set over a water garden. A full team looks after the house, including a private chef, breakfast is included daily, and car hire with a driver is part of the stay for trips to Pererenan, Canggu and Tanah Lot. Villa Mary and Villa Ambra share the same beachfront estate, so larger families can take neighbouring homes together.